This backcountry skiing, snowboard, telemark booklist is based on a bibliography is compiled by Louis Dawson for his Wild Snow history project. This is the most complete backcountry skiing booklist available on the web. Updated frequently here at WildSnow.com, with an effort to keep it focused. If you’re gift shopping for a backcountry skier, telemarker, or backcountry snowboarder, stop here first! Click the linked titles for an Amazon shopping option.

Beidleman, Neal. Aspen Ski and Snowboard Guide. Wolverine, 2006.
(Inbounds guidebook for all of Aspen, Colorado’s ski areas. These resorts include a huge amount of natural snow terrain that could be called backcountry skiing, hence inclusion of this book here.)

Bradley, Tyson. Backcountry Skiing Utah. Falcon, 2002.
(Truly an excellent book if you want to get the most out of Utah, or just dream about the powder capitol of the world. Nice gift for any skier with an adventurous heart.)

Bergdorfer, Rainer. 100 Classic Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes in Washington. Mountaineers Books; 2nd edition, 1999.
(Rainer worked hard on this book for years, and it shows in this quality offering. Collectors, note that Reiner’s first book is the out-of-print “Backcountry Sking in Washington’s Cascades.”)

Bernbaum, Edwin. Sacred Mountains of the World. Sierra Club Books, 1990.
(Interesting take for mountain lovers of all stripes. Large format book with beautiful photographs.)

Brower, David. Manual of Ski Mountaineering. Sierra Club Books, 1962.
(The famed conservationist came from backcountry skiing roots, and wrote the first North American version of a backcountry skiing how-to. Terrific gift.)

Cliff, Peter. Ski Mountaineering. Pacific Search Press, 1987.
(First book to cover the sport in a modern sense — now a classic.)

Corcoran, Thom. Mount St. Helens. KC Publications, 1985.
(This large format staple-bound book has the photos. Includes the shots of the guys on a neighboring peak watching the eruption and falling to the ground in amazement. Classic.)

Dawson, Louis. Colorado 10th Mountain Trails WHO Press, 1991.
(Out of print but still available on used market. Somewhat dated but includes alternate routes. Good collector’s item. Information within this book has been updated and ported to the web, see hutski.com)

Day, Richard. Mad Dog Mountain. Sutton Publishing
(Amazing work of mountain mystic fiction that yes, includes backcountry skiing that we approve of here at WildSnow.com.)[Read review]

Dyer, John Lewis. The Snow-Shoe Itinerant. Cranston and Stowe, 1891.
(The original is an out-of-print collector’s book, but the text was re-editioned with photos in a modern book, available via title link above. Terrific way to gain a sense of Colorado’s ski history.)

Farquhar, Francis. History of the Sierra Nevada. University
of California Press, 1966.[shop for this book]

Goodman, David.Best Backcountry Skiing in the Northeast: 50 Classic Ski Tours in New England and New York.
(The source for classic adventure skiing in the Northeastern United States.)[shop for this book]

Goodman, David.Classic Backcountry Skiing Adventures – second edition, 2000.
(OUT OF DATE and OUT OF PRINT EDITION, THIS INFORMATION PROVIDED FOR COLLECTORS)[shop for this book]

Haddad, Ron & Faughey, Eileen. Front Range Descents. Sigma, 2003.
(Excellent Colorado backcountry skiing guidebook. Will grow your skier’s life-list by a quantum leap. Haddad formerly published Indian Peaks Descents. This new book includes all information in the former guidebook.)

House, Steve. Beyond the Mountain Patagonia Inc., 2010.
(A classic of extreme alpinism. Not really a skiing book, but mentions skiing, and general them of skilled alpinism applies.)
[Read review of this book].

Jay, John. Ski Down the Years. Award House, 1966.
(Incredible classic, out of print but available on used market. A must-have for any skier who enjoys the roots of the sport.)

Jenkins, McKay. The White Death.Random House, 2000.
(Covers the tragic and well known death of three young men in a 1969 avalanche in Glacier National Park. Mixes vivid description of the tragedy with a primer on snow and avalanches, opinion about risk, and philosophical musings about mountain recreation. Worthwhile read.)

Kelner, Alexis. Wasatch Tours. Wasatch Books, 1976, Early edition.
(First guidebook in the United States to cover steeper modern backcountry skiing, this edition is out of print and available as a collector’s book, new edition is sold in two volumes, see below.)

Kinney, Matt. Alaska Backcountry Skiing – Valdez & Thompson Pass . 1st edition, Prince William Sound Books, 2008.
(Where the goods are good and the odds can be good too! Highly recommended.)[read review of this book][shop for this book]

LaChapelle, Edward R. The ABC’s of Avalanche Safety. Mountaineer’s Books “First Edition.” Mountaineers Books, 1978.
(Early editions of this small concise book were a seminal publication in avalanche safety. Most of the info in the early editions is still accurate, but they’re more of a collector book than anything else. Note that the true first edition of this book was published in Colorado before 1970, and was not published by Mountaineer’s books. The true first edition is tough to find.)[shop for 1978 edition of this book]

Lavender, David Sievert. One Man’s West. Doubleday, 1956.
(Compelling memoir of life in the early west during the “quiet years,” but with more info about mountain town life than most other histories. Available in several editions.)[shop for this book]

Leigh N. Ortenburger and Reynold G. Jackson. A Climber’s Guide To The Teton Range. Third Edition. Mountaineers Books, 1996.[shop for this book]

Litz, Brian and Kurt Lankford. Skiing Colorado’s Backcountry. Fulcrum Press, 1989.
(Brian’s first book and still a classic. Lankford died of a heart attack some years ago, and book went out of print, but it’s still available on used market. Brian went on to write Colorado Hut to Hut, and has now started his own publishing company.) [shop for this book]

Litz, Brian. Colorado Hut to Hut – Vol 1. Westcliffe Publishers, 2000.
(Brian attemps to cover all of Colorado’s huts in this series, and pretty much pulls it off. Volume 1 covers the northern huts, including 10th Mountain and Braun, while Volume 2 covers southern Colorado.)[shop for this book]

Logan, Nick & Atkins, Dale. The Snowy Torrents, Avalanche Accidents in U.S., 1980-86. Colorado Geological Survey, 1996.
(A repeat of the original classic, see bottom of this list.)[shop for this book]

Miura, Yuichiro and Perlman, Eric. The Man Who Skied Down Everest. Harper and Row, 1978.
(This adventure classic is sometimes a bit exaggerated, but an essential part of extreme skiing history. Fun gift.)

Nansen, Fridtjof. Farthest North. Volumes 1 & 2. Harper, 1897.
(Out of print, this edition is recommended for research as it has much more text than abridged edition noted below, and includes all images. Available from used book sellers.)

Ohlrich, Warren.The 10th Mountain Hut Book .
WHO Press, 2006.
(Amazingly detailed guide for the famous huts of Colorado. Highly recommended. Good gift for a dreamer, and good tool for the skier who’s already planning a trip.)

(Reprint of a mountaineering classic. First published
in 1954, this sublime book changed mountain writing from a me
versus them
genre to one of communion and spirituality. Sometimes a bit over
the top, but the alternative is worse. Makes a great gift, should
be in every alpinist’s collection.)

Rebuffat, Gaston. Between Heaven and Earth. Kaye & Ward, 1969.
(Simply a beautiful, inspiring book about mountaineering in the Alps. Hard to find collector’s book, following link may not work for direct buy. ISBN 0718205138.)[shop for this book]

Ringholz, Raye C. On Belay, the Life and Times of Legendary
Mountaineer Paul Petzoldt. Mountaineers, 2000.

Roper, Steve & Steck, Allen. Fifty Classic Climbs. Sierra Club Books, 1996.
(This concept of book served as the model for many published after. Some of the climbs are mountaineering and can be ski alpinism related.)[shop for this book]

Scott, Chic. Summits & Icefields: Columbia Mountains. 1st edition Rocky Mountain Books, 2003.
(Companion volume to Summits and Icefields: Canadian Rockies, this guide to alpine ski touring in the Columbia Mountains of Western Canada, the Purcells and Selkirks ranges.)[read review of this book][shop for this book]

Tabor, James. Forever On The Mountain. W.W. Norton, 2007.
(Forensic analysis of 1967 Wilcox expedition disaster on Denali McKinley. Per this being WildSnow.com, the expedition did use skis a few times on the lower part of the mountain.)[Read review]

Tejada-Flores, Lito. Backcountry Skiing Sierra Club Books, 1981.
(The first North American modern how-to book for backcountry skiing and ski mountaineering. A terrific collector’s item, still contains lots of useful information.)

Tremper, Bruce. Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain. Mountaineer’s Books, 2001.
(Here at WildSnow.com we think this avalanche safety how-to is perhaps the best available for backcountry skiers and snowboarders. It looks at the issue from a practical view, assuming you WILL go out in avalanche terrain and ski, snowshoe, snowmobile, etc.)[shop for this book]

Waterman, Guy and Laura. Forest and Crag. Appalachian Mountain Club, 1989.
(Aside from the disturbing fact that co-author Guy Waterman committed suicide by wandering out on a mountainside and freezing himself to death, this book is an incredible compendium of Northeastern backcountry history, with tons of ski info. A must-have.)

Welcome to Louis (Lou) Dawson's backcountry skiing information & opinion website. Lou's passion for the past 50 years has been alpinism, climbing, mountaineering and skiing -- along with all manner of outdoor recreation. He has authored numerous books and articles about ski touringand is well known as the first person to ski down all 54 of Colorado's 14,000-foot peaks, otherwise known as the Fourteeners! Books and free ski touring news and information here.

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Backcountry skiing is dangerous. You may be killed or severely injured if you do any form of ski mountaineering, skimo randonnee and randonnée skiing. The information and news on this website is intended only as general information. Due to human error and passing time, the information, text and images contained within this website may be inaccurate, false, or out-of-date. By using, reading or viewing the information provided on this website, you agree to absolve the owners of Wild Snow as well as content contributors of any liability for injuries or losses incurred while using such information. Furthermore, you agree to use any of this website's information, maps, photos, or binding mounting instructions templates at your own risk, and waive Wild Snow owners and contributors of liability for use of said items for ski touring or any other use.